Controlling bandeau



Nov. 14,1939. 1. R. VERSOY CONTROLLING BANDEAU Filed Feb. 5, 1958 Patented Nov. 14, 1939 PATENT OFFICE CONTROLLING BANDEAU Irving R. Versoy, New Haven, Conn, assignor to The Berger Brothers Company, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application February 5, 1938, Serial No. 188,908

4 Claims.

This invention relates to controlling bandeaux, and more particularly to a garment designed to be fitted to a figure, which is being measured, to control the flesh, and particularly the bust portions of the figure, in order that proper measurements be made.

In measuring a figure for a garment which will bedesigned to cover the bust portion of the body, such as a bandeau, brassire, or combined corset and brassiere, it is desirable to so control the figure that the measurements will be taken when the figure is the same as desired to be obtained by the garment which is to be made. It has been found desirable, therefore, before measuring the figure, to place upon the body of the person who is being measured a control garment, which will have provision for adjustment of various parts thereof, so that the figure of the person may be controlled or made to conform to the figure desired to be obtained. This is particularly true of the breasts of the figure, and it is often necessary, particularly in the case of sagging breasts, to arrange for the lifting, and supporting thereof in the lifted position, while the measurements are being taken.

As such controlling garments are not worn, but are used again by the corsetiere for figures of different sizes and configurations, it is necessary, or at least desirable, to provide for a wide range of adjustment both as respects .the girth measurement or length of the garment, and also'as respects the fullness or size of the bust portion thereof. That is, the controlling garment should be capable of being employed upon figures with a wide range of bust measurement, and also upon figures having large or small breasts.

One object of the invention is the provision of a controlling bandeau which will have provision for being fitted to figures having a relatively 402 wide range of measurements.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a controlling bandeau which will not only have provision for considerable adjustment as to the length-of the garment, but will also have provision for properly controlling and shaping the breasts of the figure throughout a wide range of bust sizes.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a controlling bandeau adapted to besurplus of material when placed upon a figure having small breasts, so that it may be fitted to practically any figure and be universal in use.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts 5.. to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a controlling bandeau embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the 10.; same;

Fig. 3 is a detail elevational view of the arrangement of draw strings used at the bust portion of the garment; and

Fig, 4 is a partial front elevational View show- 156 ing the device in adjusted position.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, I have shown a controlling bandeau comprising a front section II] having at its upper part bust portions H and I2, which portions 203 are provided with suitable fullness of material in order to embrace the breasts of the person to whom the garment is fitted. The upper edge of this portion of the garment will be sufficiently high to come above the bust of the wearer, and 2 52 at the approximate center of each bust section are buckles l3 and M to receive the shoulder straps l5 and I 6.

To each side edge of the front section [0 are secured side sections l1 and I8 by the laces I9 30;".

and 20, the laces being placed in a position to come approximately under the arms of the figure. The outer edges of the side sections l1 and I8 are provided with rows of hooks 2| and 22,.by

which these sections may be secured to the back 51 sections of the garment 23 and 24. It will be understood that in the form shown the back sections 23 and 24 are separate from the sidesections l1 and [8, respectively, but are secured thereto by means of the rows of hooks and eyes rection is, of course, also obtained by means of It is undesirable, however,

the laces I9 and20. to have too Wide spacing between the edges of the garment connected by the laces, so that the present construction permits a much wider range of adjustment than could be satisfactorily obtained by the laces alone.

As shown, three such 45- It will beunderstood'that 9 when the hooks 2| are secured in the most remote of the rows of eyes 25, a portion of the back section 23 will be overlapped by the side section l7, and it will be obvious that a considerable reduction in size of the garment may be obtained in this way without interfering with the use or controlling features of the garment.

The back sections 23 and 24 are provided with cooperating eyes and hooks 21 and 28, by which the sections may be secured together or closed at the back of the garment, and the straps l5 and 56 are secured to the upper edges of the sections 23 and 24 in any desired way, such as by sewing or the like.

As previously stated, the bust portions II and E2 of the garment are provided with considerable fullness, and means is provided for taking up this fullness when necessary, so that the same garment may be employed for figures having very large and fleshy breasts, or for figures having very small breasts. The means for taking up the surface material in the bust portion of the garment and adjusting it to fit the figure will now be described. Between the bust sections a relatively small piece of material 30 is sewed to the garment at its side edges, the ends being left open so as to provide a tunnel or tube between this piece of material and the body of the garment. Draw strings 3i and 32 are threaded through the space between the member 30 and the garment, these strings having their far or innermost ends sewed to the garment and to the member 30, as shown at 33 and 3t, and are left free for the rest of their lengths, their ends protruding from the tunnel or pocket formed by the member 36 so that they may be pulled up and tied, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, to reduce the dimensions of the garment at this point, or, in other words, to take up the fullness about the bust portions.

As shown in Fig. l of the drawing, one of these draw string arrangements is provided between the bust portions of the garment in an approximately vertical position, while another is provided on the outer side of each of the bust portions H and H. in a slightly inclined position with respect to the vertical. Below each of the bust portions, two of such draw string arrangements are shown in an approximately horizontal position. It is particularly desirable to have two draw string pockets below each of the bust portions in order to properly fit the garment about the figure, particularly with respect to reducing the height or vertical dimension of that part of the garment provided with fullness for the breasts, as, on account of the breasts of some figures being of a sagging nature, it is necessary to provide considerable fullness in the vertical dimension of the garment, and to provide proper support for breasts of this type when it is desired to lift them into the desired position and support them in such position. Also it is, of course, necessary to remove or take up this surplus fullness when the garment is fitted to a figure having small breasts. As shown in Fig. 4, when a fitter is dealing with a figure having sagging breasts, the latter may he uplifted and suitably supported in the proper raised position by employing the draw string arrangement shown in this figure, where the two draw strings below the bust portions will be crossed and the draw string of one drawn up and tied to the draw string of the other. This provides more effective support than merely drawing up the strings and tying them in the usual 2 way, as shown in Fig. 1.

It may be noted that the adjusting devices of the present garment cooperate with each other in an unusual way, for example, the adjustment provided by the hooks 2| and. 22, and cooperating sets of eyes 25 and 26 provides for the extension of the back of the garment without affecting the dimensions of the front. Moreover, the adjustment may be made equally upon each side of the back, so that the back opening at the edges bearing the fasteners 2! and 23 will always be at the exact center of the back of the figure. If, however, one shoulder blade is enlarged, or for any reason one side of the back is larger than the other, this may be taken care of by a different adjustment for one of the cooperating fastening means 2|25 than for the corresponding fastening means 22-26 at the other side, the opening at the fastening members 21 and 28 still falling at the center of the back line.

If the figure has a narrow back but a relatively broad front, the fasteners 2 I25 and 2226 may be taken up to shorten the back section of the garment, and the side lacings l9 and 20 let out, which will have the effect of extending the front of the garment. The reverse adjustment is, of course, made where the back is broad and the front relatively narrow.

Also, the arrangement of the side lacings approximately under the arms cooperates with the draw string adjustment of the breasts. It will be noted that, as shown in Fig. 1, the laces l9 and 253 are so arranged as to be looped and tied at 36 and 37, so that they may be loosened at this point and the edges of the garment allowed to spread at a point substantially in line with the breasts, if this is desired. In other words, if the figure has a large bust measurement as compared to the waist, this may be taken care of either by loosening the laces at the top and permitting the edges of the sections of the garment at this point to spread in V-shaped fashion, or in permitting the edges of the garment sections to have a greater spread at the points 36 and 37 in line with the breasts than at the top and bottom of the garment, depending, of course, upon which arrangement will fit the figure.

When provision is made for the enlarged bust line by laces, the breasts themselves may be accentuated by drawing up on the draw strings so as to reduce the size of the garment about the breasts. On the other hand, if it is not desired to accentuate the breasts, but rather to flatten them, the draw strings are left relatively loose and the fullness of the upper portion of the garment may be taken up at the laces. Likewise, the laces may be let out more upon one side than on the other, or the draw strings upon one side may be pulled tighter than on the other in order to provide a proper fit for figures upon which one breast is larger than the other. All of these adjustments are so designed that they may be made without affecting or moving the center line of the garment, either at the front or back, so that these centerlines will always coincide with the center of the back and center of the front of the figure to which the garment is fitted.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that I have provided a controlling garment capable of a wide range of adjustments, and one that may be used upon figures having a wide range of measurements, both as to the ordinary bust measurement around the body, and also as respecting the breasts themselves.

It will also be understood that the garment herein described is adapted for use by physicians,

g each individual case.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A control garment to encircle the bust portion of a figure having a continuous front section to extend across the bust of the figure, a side section adjustably secured to each side edge of the front, section, a back section adjustably secured to the rear edge of each of the side sections, fastening means at the proximate edges of the back sections to secure them together, said front section having fullness at the upper portions thereof to embrace the breasts, and means for contractingthe breast-embracing portions of the garment to fit the breasts of the figure comprising substantially vertically arranged draw strings between said portions and at the outer sides thereof, and additional substantially horizontally arranged draw strings below said portions to effect uplift and support of the breasts.

2. A control garment to encircle the bust portion of a figure having a continuous front section to extend across the bust of the figure, a side section adjustably secured to each side edge of the front section, a back section adjustably secured to the rear edge of each of the side sections, fastening means at the proximate edges of the back sections to secure them together, said front section having fullness at the upper portions thereof to embrace the breasts, and means for contracting the breast-embracing portions of the garment to fit the breasts of the figure comprising substantially vertically arranged draw strings between said portions and at the outer sides thereof, and additional substantially horizontally arranged draw strings below said portions to effect uplift and support of the breasts, said additional draw strings being arranged in pairs below each breast-embracing portion and one below the other in spaced relation.

3. A control garment to encircle the bust portion of a figure having a continuous front section extending across the bust of the figure, a side section adjustably secured to each side edge of the front section, a back section adjustably secured to the rear edge of each of the side sections, fastening means at the proximate edges of the back sections to secure them together, said front section having at the upper portion thereof breast-embracing portions and having fullness for this purpose, means on the front section of the garment to contract the breast-embracing portions both horizontally and vertically of the garment to fit the breasts of the figure, said side sections being secured to the edges of the front section by laces, and said laces being drawn out and knotted intermediate the upper and lower edges of the garment at a point substantially in line with the breasts of the figure, said laces cooperating with said contracting means for adjusting the length of the garment across the breast line by varying the spacing of the edges of the front and side sections at this point.

4. A control garment to encircle the bust portion of a figure having a continuous front section extending across the bust of the figure, a side section adjustably secured to each side edge of the front section, a back section adjustably secured to the rear edge of each of the side sections, fastening means at the proximate edges of the back sections to secure them together, said front section having at the upper portion thereof breast-embracing portions and having fullness for this purpose, means on the front section of the garment to contract the breast-embracing portions both horizontally and vertically of the garment to fit the breasts of the figure, said side sections being secured to the edges of the front section by laces, and said laces being drawn out and knotted intermediate the upper and lower edges of the garment at a point substantially in line with the breasts of the figure, said laces cooperating with said contracting means for adjusting the length of the garment across the breast line by varying the spacing of the edges of the front and side sections at this point, and said securing means between the side and back sections of the garment being adapted to secure the edges of such sections together in overlapping positions.

IRVING R. VERSOY. 

